Bar bell exercising device with slidable carriage



L. D. LEFLAR Feb. 15, 1966- BAR BELL EXERCISING DEVICE WITH SLIDABLECARRIAGE Filed Feb. 14, 1963 LEW/5 D. LEFLAI? lNVE/VTOR.

BUG/(HORN, BLO/FE, KLA/POU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN United States Patent 3, 35,25BAR BELL xnnersmo DEVICE WITH SLIDABLE CARRIAGE Lewis Dilhefiaig 142ssw. zs'nve, rental-ta, 059;;- Filed Feb. 14; 1963, s t. No. 258,387Claims; or; 272- 81) This invention relates to improvements in gymnasticequipmentand apparatus.

It is com'nion practice for persons performing bench press exercises tolift a heavy barbell, frequently as heavy abanbell'aspossible.Because-of the necessity of assuming a prone position on the bench, itis not possible or at least practical for'the person to support theheavy barbell while he assumes his bench position. Usually, there isafi'xed'levelrestatthe head of the bench, and two other persons assistthe exerciser by lifting the heavy barbell off the rest and'into theextended-arm grasp of theperson on the bench. After the person carriesout the bench press exercises, the two assistants grasp the barbell andlift it back onto the rest. Even with these precautions, there is dangerof injury to the exerciser, because if his arms collapse during thebench'press exercises, the heavy barbell will fall on his ch est. Thereare other exercises, such as the leg press, deep knee bend, etc., whichcause in'jurytb the exerciser shoultlhis legs or arms collapse at thelow position;

It is amain object of the present invention to provide a gymnasticapparatus which enables the bench press and other exercises to becarried out without any assistants and without the above dangers, andspecifically which positively limits downward movement of the barbell sothat injury to'the exerciser can not occur, and yet which facilitatesready upand downlifting movement of the barbellwithoutinterference bythe apparatus.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus ofthe type described above which permits'and facilitates a wide variety ofarm, body and leg exercises to be safely carried out.

A further object of' the invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove type that provides both vertical and inclined guides for barbellmovement to enable a wide range of exercises to be carried out.

Another object of theinvention is to provide an appa'ratus of the typeunder discussion that facilitates both isotonic and isometricexercising.

Various other objects of the invention willbe apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gymnastic apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlargedfragmentary view of part of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1, witlrparts broken away for convenience in illustration;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a guide member, with parts broken awayand-parts in section to better show details of construction; I

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4-4=of"FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken along line 55 of FIG. 3; and

FIG; 6 shows a person doing a stomach exercise on the apparatus.

Referringto FIG. 1, the apparatus comprises a frame in the form of anopen framework structure generally indicated by the letter "P whichincludes a rectangular base generally entitled B, two identical sidestructures 11 and 13, and a top connecting'member 15. Each sidestructure includes a vertical leg 17 and an inclinedleg 19 joined attheir upper ends by a connecting piece 21. The lower end of each leg isequipped with a saddle 23 which alignment with the holes to receive thebolts which secure the saddles 23 in place.

The top connecting member 15inc1udes across mem-- her, which forconvenience is also given-the reference numeral 15; The cross member hasa saddle 25 at each end which is bolted to the associated connectingpiece 21 of the associated side'structure.

Each of the legs 17 -and 19 is in the form of a tubular member (FIG. 2)of special cross sectional shape as is apparent from FIG; 4. Since thetubular legs 17 and 19 are of identical cross sectional shape, it willonly be necessary to describethe cross'sectional shape of the member 17.The member 17 in cross section has a semi-cylindrical inner wall portion17a (FIG. 4), flat side walls 17b, and a flat outer wall 17c. The flatouter wall 17c is formed medially with a longitudinal slot 31 whichterminates just short of the opposite ends of the member.

There is a carriage C for each of the guides 17 and 19 and since each ofthe carriages is of identical construction, it will only be necessary todescribe the carriage disclosed in connection with FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5,which is associated with a leg 17.

Each carriage comprises a body assembly generally entitled 33 containedwithin the guide, and a bracket 35 projecting through the slot 31 of thetubular guide. Each bracket includes a hat strip 3'7 having a lower endportion reversely bent to provide an eye 39- to receive the bar 41' of abarbell.

The body assembly includes a channel-shaped body 51 (FIG. 4) whichaccommodates a pair of ball bearing rollers or wheels 53 which aremounted one above the other for rotary movement about horizontal shafts55.

Each roller has a generally flat periphery with rounded corner portionsso that it has line contact at two places with the curved wall portion17a of the tubular guide as is apparent from FIG. 4. This constructiontends to center the rollers or wheels relative to the tubular guide.

The base portion of the channel-shaped body 51 is wider than the slot 31(FIG'J l) so that such base portion engages the inner surfaces of theouter wall 17c of the tubular guide in flanking relation to the slot 31.It is further apparent from FIG. 4 that the body 51 is narrower than theinterior of the tubular guide 17 so that the side portions of the bodyare spaced from the opposed walls 17b of the tubular guide 17. Thebracket 35 has a thickness less than the width of the slot 31 so that itrides or moves quite freely within the slot.

The body 51 includes a bumper holder 61 (FIG. 3) to which is secured anelasto-mer pad as which acts as a bumper.

An adjustable stop S is provided for the carriage of each guide tosupport the carriage in various positions along the guide. Referringparticularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, the stop has a body which-includes ahorizontal bumperengaging portion 73 (FIG. 2) anda verticalguide-engaging portion "75' permanently joined to the horizontalportion. The face ofthe vertical portion 75 remote from the horizontalportion 73 is of semicircular cross sectionalshape, asis apparent fromFIGS. 3and 5, for mating sliding engagement with the curved wall of theasso ciated guide.

A stop pin 79 is secured to the guide-engaging portion 75 of the stopmember and is adapted for selective engagernent in any of a plurality ofequally spaced holes 81 formed in the curved wall of the associatedguide.

It isapparent from FIG. 3 that the portion 73 of the stop member is at alevel above that of the hole-engaging 3 pin 79 and that the member 73,together with the member 75, has a width slightly less than that of theinterior of the guide. Thus the stop member is precluded fromcounterclockwise movement. It is further apparent that the body of thestop member is curved at 82 and 83 to enable the stop member to berotated in a clockwise direction as the parts are shown in FIG. 3 toenable the pin 79 to be retracted from the hole 81 in which it previously fit. The length of the stop pin and its fit within the hole 81 aresuch as to enable the pinto be so retracted.

The stop member has a handle 85' which is secured to the portion 73 andwhich is narrower than the portion and projects through the slot 31 andoutwardly to a position for ready engagement by the hand of the personusing the machine. It is also apparentfrom FIG. 2 that the portion 73 issubstantially wider than the width of the slot 31 so as to engage theinner wall portions of the tubular guide 17 in flanking relation to theslot 31.

When the stop member is in its operative active position, as shown inFIG. 2, the bumper .63 rests against the body portion 73 to support thecarriage and therefore the barbell on the stop member. It is furtherapparent that if the barbell is accidentally dropped from a level abovethat ShOWn in FIG. 2, that the bumper 73 will come into cushioningengagement with the stop member to absorb part of the impact and avoidplacing too great a stress on the outer wall of the tubular guide:

Each carriage also includes a slidable stop pin which has a first part86 (FIG. 3) slidably received through the base portion of the body 51 ofthe carriage, and a larger diameter stop pin portion 87 slidablyreceived by a block 89 secured to the carrier body 51. The stop pin isshown in full line as engaging in one of the holes 81, and in dottedlines in a retracted position. Because the part or portion 87 is oflarger diameter than the portion 86, it is apparent that the portion 87cannot be retracted from the body 51 since it will not pass through thehole which accommodates the part 36. The part 86 projects through theslot 31 and has an outer portion reversely bent to provide an eye 91.

In the operative engaged position of the slidable stop pin, the eye 91is disposed above the upper end of the strip 37 as shown in full linesin FIG. 3. When the slidable stop pin is pulled outwardly, as shown indotted lines in FIG. 3, the stop pin may be rotated 180 so that the eyeassumes a position behind or to the left of the strip 37 to bereleasably held in its inoperative position.

Returning now to the overall apparatus, as the apparatus is disclosed inFIG. 1, it is apparent from the positions of the carriage C that each ofthe legs 17 and 19 is disposed. with its slot facing outwardly. It isfurther apparent that the two carriages for the tubular legs or guides17 support the bar 41 of a barbell, the barbell comprising the bar andweights W and conventional weight retaining devices D. Additionalweights may be added and a supply of these weights can be stored onupwardly projecting stub shafts 97.

In order to enable a person to do a leg press using the barbell on theleg 17, the base B is provided with a platform P which may comprise asection of heavy plywood. If desired, the central portion of the base Bat the end of the base adjacent to leg 17 can be recessed to accommodatethe exerciser.

At the opposite end of the base B, the cross member 99 of the base has araised portion 143]. to provide traction for the exerciser E when hedesires to perform inclined raises.

In FIG. 1, the exerciser E is shown as performing an inclined raise oran inclined deep knee bend. The stop members S are shown below thebarbell and in positions to bring the barbell to a halt prior to theexerciser reaching a position of collapse.

In FIG. 6, the exerciser is shown as performing a stomach exercise tostrengthen the stomach muscles. To perform this exercise, the leftdumbbell is located at a level to enable the heels of the exerciser tobe brought 4 against the bar 41 to restrain the legs of the exerciserfrom rearward movement and to assist in supporting the; exerciser. Thestomach of the exerciser rests on the? cross member 15. The stop membersfor the right-hand barbell in FIG. 6 are concealed by the weights Wbecause the arms of the exerciser E are fully extended and thus thebarbell is almost against the stop members.

the tubular guides 19, by contracting his arm muscles.

There are various other exercises which can be performed. by anexerciser making use of the barbells on both of the sets of legs. Forinstance, an exerciser may lie on the platform P and perform extendedleg raises with the left barbell and overhead arm raises with the rightbarbell.

It will be appreciated that a large variety of exercises can be carriedout with the gymnastic apparatus shown and described in the applicationand that only a few exercises have been mentioned. For instance, theapparatus of the present invention is ideally suited for deep knee bendexercises, either vertical or inclined, since the exerciser is assuredthat he can perform this exercise without danger of collapse at thebottom of the bend. He can also perform leg presses, either inclined orverti cal, without concern that he will be unable to support thebarbells in the lower position thereof. The apparatus also lends itselfreadily to the performance of military presses or inclined bend presses,bicep curls, upright rows, wide grip rows, dead lifts, heel raises andthe like. The apparatus is ideally suited for high school use since manypersons first become acquainted with weight lifting in high school and,are unfamiliar with its limitations and are prone to irijury if thesafety devices incorporated in the present apparatus are not present.

It is pointed out in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 that the carriagesare remarkably free from binding, because the employment of upper andlower rollers which have line contact with the guides, enables thecarriages to accommodate offset loads which would cause binding withother constructions.

Having described the invention in what is considered to be the preferredembodiment thereof, it is desired that it be understood that theinvention is not to be limited other than by the provisions of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. An exercising device comprising:

an open framework including a base and two {P 05 guide membersprojecting upwardly therefrom,

one pair of guide members being vertical and the other pair of guidemembers being inclined toward said one pair of guide members,

the guide members of each pair being laterally spaced and said guidemembers providing therebetween a space to accommodate a person,

said framework including rigid means between the upper ends of saidpairs of guide members,

a first barbell arranged transversely of said one pair of guide membersand a second barbell arranged transversely of said other pair of guidemembers,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guidemembers,

means for releasably holding said first barbell in various fixedpositions along said one pair of guidemembers,

said rigid means being so located relative to said guide members that aperson may double himself over said rigid means with his legs engagingand being restrained by said first barbell and his hands engaging saidsecond barbell to enable him to move the latter back and forth alongsaid inclined guide members.

2. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel; up-

wardly extending tubular guide membe a carriage for each guide member,

The exerciser will pull the barbell upwardly, sliding it along;

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof with the slotsfacing away from a plane defined by the guide members.

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members.

3. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extendingtubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

eachcarriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide member andmovable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved Wall portion remotefrom the slot in said member, and flat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curvedWall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated flatwall portions.

, 4. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and .a pair of parallel up- Wardly extendingtubular guide members, a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed Within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each brackethaving means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved wall portion remotefrom the slot in said member, and fiat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curvedwall portion and flat slide means slidably engaging the associated flatwall portions,

each roller means having line contact with the associated curved wallportion at two places.

5. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extendingtubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved 6 Wall portionremote from the slot in said member, and flat wall portions flankingsaid slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curvedwall portion and flat slide means slidably engaging the associated flatwall portions,

each roller means having line contact with the associated curved wallportion at two places,

each roller means including a pair of vertically spaced rollersrotatable about horizontal axes and simultaneously engaging theassociated. curved wall portions.

6. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extendingtubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

each guide member having a plurality of vertically spaced holes formedtherein in the wall portion there- .of remote from the slot of suchguide member,

each adjustable stop means comprising,

a single unitary leement having a body portion for engaging said wallportion and also the wall portions of said guide member that flank saidslot,

said body portion having a pin for selective engage ment in said holes;

said body portion also engaging said guide member in flanking relationto saidslot at a place above the level of said pin to preclude downwardswinging movement of said stop element but to permit upward swingingmovement thereof,

a handle projecting through said slot from said body portion tofacilitate upward swinging movement of said stop element to enableretraction of said pin fromitsrhole and subsequent reengagement withanotherhole at another level. i

7 A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extendingtubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each. guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

other adjustable stop means for each carriage and carried by the bodyassembly of the associated carriage and engageable in said holes forreleasably precluding upward movement of said carriage to facilitate useof said apparatus for isometric and other exercises,

each said other adjustable stop means comprising,

a horizontal pin slidably supported by said body assembly for movementfrom an operative hole-engaging position to an inoperative retractedpostion, said pin projecting through the associated slot and having aportion coacting with the associated bracket to releasably retain saidpin in one of its positions. 8. A training apparatus comprising:

a frame including a base and a pair of parallel upwardly extendingtubular guide members,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slot-ted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

a barbell supported by said brackets, and

adjustable stop means for each carriage for releasably retaining saidcarriages in various positions of adjustment along said guide members,

other adjustable stop means for each carriage and carried by the bodyassembly of the associated carriage and engageable in said holes forreleasably precluding upward movement of said carriage to facilitate useof said apparatus for isometric and other exercises,

each said other adjustable stop means comprising,

a horizontal pin slidably supported by said body assembly for movementfrom an operative holeengaging position to an inoperative retractedposition,

said pin projecting through the associated slot and having a portioncoacting with the associated bracket to releasably retain said pin inone of its positions,

said pin having a stop precluding its complete retraction from said bodyassembly.

9. An exercising device comprising:

an open framework including a base and two pairs of guide membersprojecting upwardly therefrom,

one pair of guide members being vertical and the other pair of guidemembers being inclined toward said one pair of guide members,

the guide members of each pair being laterally spaced and said guidemembers providing therebetween a space to accommodate a person,

said framework including a cross element between the upper ends of saidpairs of guide members,

a first barbell arranged transversely of said one pair of guide membersand a second barbell arranged transversely of said other pair of guidemembers,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guidemembers,

means for releasably holding said first barbell in various fixedpositions along said one pair of guide members,

said cross element being so located relative to said guide members thata person may double himself over said cross element with his legsengaging and being restrained by said first barbell and his handsengaging said second barbell to enable him to move the later back andforth along said inclined guide members,

said mounting means including,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed within its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved wall portion remotefrom the slot in said member, and fiat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curvedwall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated fiatwall portions.

10. An exercising device comprising:

an open framework including a base and two pairs of guide membersprojecting upwardly therefrom,

one pair of guide members being vertical and the other pair of guidemembers being inclined toward said one pair of guide members,

The guide members of each pair being laterally spaced and said guidemembers providing therebetween a space to accommodate a person,

said framework including a cross element between the upper. ends of saidpairs of guide members,

a first barbell arranged transversely of said one pair of guide membersand a second barbell arranged transversely of said other pair of guidemembers,

mounting means mounting said barbells for movement along said guidemembers,

means for releasably holding said first barbell in various fixedpositions along said one pair of guide members,

said cross element being so located relative to said guide members thata person may double himself over said cross element with his legsengaging and being restrained by said first barbell and his handsengaging said second barbell to engage him to move the latter back andforth along said inclined guide members,

said mounting means including,

a carriage for each guide member,

each guide member being slotted longitudinally thereof,

each carriage having a body assembly disposed with-in its guide memberand movable therealong and a bracket projecting through the slot in suchguide member,

each bracket having means for engaging a barbell in supporting relationthereto,

each guide member, in cross section, having a curved wall portion remotefrom the slot in said member, and flat wall portions flanking said slot,

each body assembly including roller means engaging the associated curvedwall portion and fiat slide means slidably engaging the associated flatwall portions,

the slot in each guide member facing outwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,783,045 2/1957Bosch 27281 FOREIGN PATENTS 456,790 3/ 1928 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

1. AN EXERCISING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN OPEN FRAMEWORK INCLUDING A BASEAND TWO PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, ONE PAIR OFGUIDE MEMBERS BEING VERTICAL AND THE OTHER PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS BEINGINCLINED TOWARD SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS, THE GUIDE MEMBERS OFEACH PAIR BEING LATERALLY SPACED AND SAID GUIDE MEMBERS PROVIDINGTHEREBETWEEN A SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE A PERSON, SAID FRAMEWORK INCLUDINGRIGID MEANS BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID PAIRS OF GUIDE MEMBER, AFIRST BARBELL ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERSAND A SECOND BARBELL ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID OTHER PAIR OF GUIDEMEMBERS, MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTING SAID BARBELLS FOR MOVEMENT ALONG SAIDGUIDE MEMEBERS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID FIRST BARBELL INVARIOUS FIXED POSITIONS ALONG SAID ONE PAIR OF GUIDE MEMBERS, SAID RIGIDMEANS BEING SO LOCATED RELATIVE TO SAID GUIDE MEMBERS THAT A PERSON MAYDOUBLE HIMSELF OVER SAID RIGID MEANS WITH HIS LEGS ENGAGING AND BEINGRESTRAINED BY SAID FIRST BARBELL AND HIS HANDS ENGAGING SAID SECONDBARBELL TO ENABLE HIM TO MOVE THE LATTER BACK AND FORTH ALONG SAIDINCLINED GUIDE MEMBERS.